A basic need for most people when traveling in a foreign country is human language translation. One may be riding in a taxi or about to purchase something when there is a sudden and important need to translate a phrase or statement. For example, one may want to ask the cab driver a question about the route he is taking, or wish to ask a salesperson about alternatives to a particular item he is presenting you. A two-way, portable, electronic language translation device is very useful in such circumstances. Such a device has a display and a keyboard that allows the user to type in a word or phrase in the user's native language. The user then presses a button on the keyboard, and the word or phrase is then translated by built-in data processing circuitry of the device into another language before being displayed. With the display showing the translated phrase, the user may then hand the device to the other party who can then read the translated phrase and then respond using the device in a reverse manner but in her own language.